The most anticipated battle had finally arrived, and every eye in the room was fixed on the arena. Everyone wanted to know if the last princes could truly live up to the legendary legacy of their eldest brother, Marcel.
Jake stepped forward, a confident smile radiating from his face. He was certain this would be an easy victory, a simple matter of a senior putting a freshman in his place. "Let me show you true power, kid," Jake said, his voice brimming with arrogance. "I only hope you last long enough to actually experience it."
Leo, however, was buzzing with excitement. He was finally facing someone officially recognized as "strong" other than his own brother, and he had no intention of holding back.
As soon as Mr. Xenes gave the signal, Leo moved. His speed was incomprehensible; while Damian and Amy could just barely track his silhouette, Jake saw nothing but a blur. Leo appeared instantly in front of Jake and delivered a devastating roundhouse kick to his head. The sheer force released a localized shockwave that sent Jake spiraling through the air before he crashed unconscious into the ground.
"Huh... is it over already?" Leo asked, genuinely surprised by the instant knockout.
Damian scoffed from the sidelines. "I knew he was weak. I don't even know why he was selected to be in this class."
"The bottom-feeders are giving us a bad name," Amy added with a bored sigh.
Witnessing the seniors' dismissive reactions, Leon and Leo assumed that Jake was simply the "weak link" of the group. Their hopes remained high that the strongest members of the Elite Class would provide a real challenge.
It was now Leon and Sean's turn. Having seen how quickly Leo's match ended, Leon decided he would hold back even more to try and actually enjoy the flow of battle.
Sean smiled, oblivious to Leon's thoughts. "Don't think for a second that I am as weak as Jake. I'll show you the true essence of magic."
Leon's facial expression remained unchanged. His eyes weren't even on Sean; they were fixed on Amy and Damian, whom he correctly identified as the true pinnacle of the school.
Mr. Xenes gave the signal. Sean attacked first, thrusting his hands forward. "Gravity times a hundred!"
The crushing weight of the spell hit Leon, but he remained totally unfazed. He began walking slowly toward Sean, stepping through the high-pressure zone as if he were taking a stroll in a park. Sean's eyes widened in pure shock.
"Are you mocking me?" Sean roared, his anger rising at Leon's casual pace.
"I had my hopes up, but you aren't the one I want to fight," Leon said in a calm, unbothered tone. "I expected better. Sadly, I am disappointed."
"How dare you underestimate me! I'll show you true power!" Sean screamed. He summoned his ultimate technique: "Hidden Spell: Blake—The All-Consuming Flames!"
A massive, glowing yellow magic circle manifested in front of him, discharging a searing solar blast toward Leon. In response, Leon raised a hand and manifested a Black Circle—a perfect replica of the dark energy spell used by the high-ranking demon in the palace vault.
The black circle launched a surge of dark energy so potent it didn't just counter Sean's flames; it obliterated them entirely. The darkness swallowed the fire and slammed into Sean, leaving him severely bruised, injured, and incapacitated.
"The princes are incredible," Amy said, her eyes gleaming with a predatory light. "I can't wait to fight them next."
"Yeah," Damian replied, his voice low and serious. "Finally... a worthy opponent."
Mr. Xenes prepared the list for the next set of matches: Damian vs. Amy, Leo vs. Laura, and Leon vs. Freya. It seemed as if Mr. Xenes had intentionally mismatched the pairings, ruining the long-anticipated showdown between the princes and the top-tier elites.
The first match was Leo vs. Laura. Both Leo and Leon were so eager to fight the two top students that they decided to end their current matches as quickly as possible.
The moment Mr. Xenes gave the signal, Leo teleported behind Laura, placing a hand on her back. "El-tral Sin-dis," he whispered.
A specialized electrical surge coursed through her, possessing enough potency to totally destabilize her nervous system and shut her body down completely. The battle ended before it had even truly begun.
Next was Leon vs. Freya. Freya stood before Leon, her hands shaking visibly. She had seen the princes move; she had witnessed spells for which she had no counter, executed as effortlessly as breathing. It was obvious she was going to lose—too obvious to ignore.
"I forfeit," Freya said, her voice trembling before Mr. Xenes could even give the signal to begin.
"What a coward. Well, it's not like she had a chance anyway," Amy remarked, watching Freya leave the arena in shame.
"I'm not surprised, just disappointed," Damian added coldly.
"Well, it's our turn now," Amy said, turning to Damian. "I won't let you have the honor of fighting one of those princes."
"You should just try to keep up," Damian replied. "You'll certainly lose, but try not to be a total disappointment."
"Your ego makes you blind, but don't worry—I'll correct your delusions," Amy snapped back as they both stepped forward for their battle.
They stood facing each other, their combined presence emitting an aura so potent it could be felt physically by everyone in the room. As soon as Mr. Xenes gave the signal, they both launched toward each other at blinding speed. Their fists clashed, releasing massive shockwaves as they matched each other blow for blow. Even the princes were impressed; these two were truly the peak of the academy.
They collided once more before jumping back to create distance. Amy raised her hand high, her voice cold as she muttered, "Heaven's Wrath: Earth-Shattering Meteor!"
A gigantic mass of rock materialized above Damian—a projectile so massive it possessed the potential to level an entire city. It began its descent, trailing fire with the devastating force of a true meteor.
"Is this the best you've got? Pitiful," Damian said, unfazed. He lifted his hands toward the sky. "Open: Star Fire!"
A brilliant white magic circle expanded above him, discharging a beam of light with the concentrated intensity of a collapsing star. The energy completely obliterated the meteor, vaporizing the rock into nothingness.
Amy countered instantly, moving like a sudden breeze to appear directly in front of him. She launched a clean, heavy punch, but to her surprise, Damian had already manifested a localized shield to intercept the blow.
"You're within range," he said with a sharp smile.
Amy gasped and teleported away instinctively. The moment she vanished, multiple lightning bolts zapped the exact spot where she had been standing a microsecond before.
"Quick thinking. You're proving to be harder to kill than I expected," Damian said, his smile widening.
Amy, reappearing several feet away, let out a mocking laugh. "Do you really think such cheap tricks would work on me?"
"Well, playtime is over. Let's get serious," Damian declared.
The ground beneath him cracked as he vanished, moving at the speed of light—and Amy matched him move for move. Their fists clashed again, but this time the impact triggered a massive explosion. The resulting shockwave created a spatial distortion that spread for miles, and the ground was obliterated as if a second meteor had struck the earth.
Just as they prepared to strike again, Mr. Xenes blew his whistle. The ten-minute mark had passed, and the match was declared a tie. Both combatants walked back proudly; they would both finally get their chance to face the princes.
The final matches were set: Leo vs. Amy and Leon vs. Damian. The ultimate showdown had arrived, and the long-awaited battles were here.
Leo stepped forward, his excitement nearly impossible to hide. Amy walked toward him with lethal grace and arrogant pride.
"FinThey collided once more before jumping back to create distance. Amy raised her hand high, her voice cold as she muttered,
"Heaven's Wrath: Earth-Shattering Meteor!"
A gigantic mass of rock materialized above Damian—a projectile so massive it possessed the potential to level an entire city. It began its descent, trailing fire with the devastating force of a true meteor.
"Is this the best you've got? Pitiful," Damian said, unfazed. He lifted his hands toward the sky. "Open: Star Fire!"
A brilliant white magic circle expanded above him, discharging a beam of light with the concentrated intensity of a collapsing star. The energy completely obliterated the meteor, vaporizing the rock into nothingness.
Amy countered instantly, moving like a sudden breeze to appear directly in front of him. She launched a clean, heavy punch, but to her surprise, Damian had already manifested a localized shield to intercept the blow.
"You're within range," he said with a sharp smile.
Amy gasped and teleported away instinctively. The moment she vanished, multiple lightning bolts zapped the exact spot where she had been standing a microsecond before.
"Quick thinking. You're proving to be harder to kill than I expected," Damian said, his smile widening.
Amy, reappearing several feet away, let out a mocking laugh. "Do you really think such cheap tricks would work on me?"
"Well, playtime is over. Let's get serious," Damian declared.
The ground beneath him cracked as he vanished, moving at the speed of light—and Amy matched him move for move. Their fists clashed again, but this time the impact triggered a massive explosion. The resulting shockwave created a spatial distortion that spread for miles, and the ground was obliterated as if a second meteor had struck the earth.
Just as they prepared to strike again, Mr. Xenes blew his whistle. The ten-minute mark had passed, and the match was declared a tie. Both combatants walked back proudly; they would both finally get their chance to face the princes.
The final matches were set: Leo vs. Amy and Leon vs. Damian. The ultimate showdown had arrived, and the long-awaited battles were here.
Leo stepped forward, his excitement nearly impossible to hide. Amy walked toward him with lethal grace and arrogant pride.
"Finally, the time has come," Amy said, her eyes burning with intensity. "I might have lost to Marcel in the past, but this time, I'll take my revenge on his brother. Fate has a way of setting things straight, you know."
"Well then, let's settle the score," Leo replied with a confident smirk.
Mr. Xenes took a deep, exhausted breath and muttered, "Begin!"ally, the time has come," Amy said, her eyes burning with intensity. "I might have lost to Marcel in the past, but this time, I'll take my revenge on his brother. Fate has a way of setting things straight, you know."
"Well then, let's settle the score," Leo replied with a confident smirk.
Mr. Xenes took a deep, exhausted breath and muttered, "Begin!"
Damian smirked as he suddenly vanished, launching himself at the speed of light toward Leon. But to his absolute shock, Leon caught him mid-flight, slammed him ruthlessly into the ground, and tossed him several feet away like a ragdoll.
Damian scrambled back to his feet, a barrage of lightning arcing from his fingertips toward Leon. However, the bolts froze mid-air, flickered for a second, and simply vanished into nothingness.
"Wait... what?" Damian stammered, his mind failing to comprehend the literal erasure of his magic.
Suddenly, Leon appeared directly in front of him, delivering a devastating kick to his face that sent Damian spiraling through the air. Damian managed to regain his stance quickly and roared,
"Open: Starfire!"
Seven glowing circles materialized around Leon, instantly discharging beams of solar energy. This was the same power that could obliterate a city-level meteor, yet it did absolutely nothing to Leon's passive shield—even though the output was seven times greater than before.
"What is this... what is going on?!" Damian cried out as he flew upward to escape. Suddenly, he felt a crushing punch in his gut. It was Leon again; Damian hadn't even seen him move.
Leon followed up with a relentless barrage of punches, each one carrying enough force to level a mountain. He finished the combination with a heavy kick, sending Damian crashing into the arena floor where he lay clutching his stomach in agony.
Leon took a deep, calm breath and muttered, "Open: Starfire."
Damian froze. It was his own signature spell, yet Leon was casting it with terrifying ease. Magic circles began to manifest one after another, all pointing directly at the fallen Class President.
It's my attack, but... he's spamming it! Damian thought, his heart racing with pure terror. What's more terrifying is the sheer number he can create. I can manage ten at my absolute best, but he has more... a hundred? No... a thousand?!
"I quit! I forfeit! Please, spare me!" Damian screamed, his pride completely shattered.
Seeing the forfeit, Leon dispelled the massive array of light and descended to the ground. Suddenly, the sound of slow, rhythmic clapping filled the silent dimension. Mr. Xenes stepped forward, a twisted smile on his face.
"You are the ones I have been searching for," Mr. Xenes said, his voice echoing with a hollow, metallic ring. "The ones who tore a hole in space-time for a brief moment—long enough to let me slip into the mortal world. You are truly impressive."
As he spoke, a dark, suffocating aura that felt like the very essence of death engulfed him, transforming his appearance.
"So, you've finally decided to show yourself," Leon replied, his voice chillingly calm. "Demon Lord."
Leo walked forward from behind, joining his brother to face the true threat. "Now tell us," Leo added, his eyes glowing with mana, "what exactly is your next plan?"